Other items on the rack. A couple of freshly pulled Idol Artifact Pedestals (a few more are in the work area being worked on), and some extra Twin Serpent reliefs. When casting I always like to have small molds standing by incase I have excess material, in which case I'd pour it into the molds and reduce waste.

What in the world is this strange contraption?! This oddity here is the Idol Artifact Pedestal mold. Those wooden "stilts" are attached to a weighted top (a prototype pedestal as a matter of fact... remember what I said about not letting anything go to waste?) which holds down a carefully-sized and cut piece of rigid foam which becomes the center core of the casting.

A pink pedestal? Have I gone mad? Well, maybe a little. What you are seeing here is the actual foam core that goes into every pedestal. The little white knobs represent the thickness of the top layer of a completed pedestal. They basically function as feet which elevates the foam about 1/4 inch from the surface of the mold, leaving space for the material to fill to achieve an even thickness throughout. The three holes in the middle are to allow for the casting material to slush through when it is pressed down into the mold and also to give it extra strength once solidified.

This results in a far lighter casting, while at the same time, retaining much of its structural strength. This is how I've been making these from the beginning and it's worked beautifully so far. So I let y'all in on a little behind-the-scenes magic. Free of charge. ;)